So the somewhat ironic and irritating side issue to this is the media's (and organizations such as planned parenthood) tendency to work towards no longer using the term STD.

Have you seen this? It is a movement toward calling a disease, instead, an infection. That's right STI's are becoming a bit of a buzz phrase in certain circles. Why?

If we think through the idea of the difference between a "disease" and an "infection" in how we would generally define them we see that a disease is something you "get" or something you may actually have to take responsibility for. Whereas an "infection" is something that you "catch"...like a cold. When someone catches a cold we feel sorry for them because there wasn't, necessarily, anything they could have done to prevent it. It's not your fault, these things just happen. So an "STI" is nothing to be ashamed of. There was nothing you could have done to stop it.

Is this what we are telling promicous teens and twenty somethings? Not directly. But certainly indirectly...and I suppose we could find examples of pretty direct times as well. It is scary and sad...and I have two daughters. Yikes.

P.S. Am I ever glad God is in control!!